Here and There, You and Me
by pchan1912
Summary: Ficlet/drabble set. 100 themes challenge. 100 shorts spanning a lifetime. Mostly Ed/Win centric. Chapter 7: He's Got the Look; In which Winry tries not to panic and kind of succeeds.
1. It's a Deal

A/N: Trying my hand at actually completing a 100 themes list. Yikes! These are not in any particular order, just loosely connected bits of fun. :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome and appreciated :) Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. You know...obviously... ;)**

_Theme 001: Beginnings_

**It's a Deal**

Al was three and Ed was four the first time they met Winry. They were at Granny Pinako's house meeting her children for the first time. Their mother was happy to have a new neighbor's company to enjoy. The adults were all busy talking and laughing and Pinako was in the kitchen cooking something delicious for dinner. The three youngest house guests were in the living room staring at each other. Ed and Al hadn't met many other children in their short lives, and Ed wasn't really sure he even wanted to be friends with a girl in the first place. What if she didn't want to play with them?

Alphonse, tired of the staring contest and oblivious to his brother's apprehensions, trundled over to Winry and grabbed her by the hand, directing her to a pile of blocks in the corner. They began to play, the toddlers' laughter tinkling throughout the house. Not one to be left out, Edward slowly made his way to the two architects, plopping down on the floor beside his brother with a huff.

After a few moments of silent participation, the older Elric spoke up. "Mother says that you're going to live next to us now." He began.

Winry only nodded, busy helping Al construct a castle of blocks.

Taking a deep breath, Edward stood up. "I guess that makes us friends then." He finished matter-of-factly, extending his hand to her like he'd seen adults do so many times.

"Really?" Winry cooed excitedly, standing up too. She was grinning from ear to ear as she took his small hand in both of hers. "We'll be best friends, for sure!"

"Yeah, It's a deal." Edward smiled too, pleased with the way his talk had gone, and began shaking her hands enthusiastically. He'd never had a best friend before, and it sounded like an adventure to him.

Al laughed as he knocked their tower of blocks to the ground.

Sealed with a handshake, it was the beginning of a grand adventure indeed.


	2. Told You So

_Theme 018: Rejection_

**I Told You So**

It was summer and it was hot. The sun was high and the air was thick. Beads of sweat, fat like drops of rain, slid their way down Ed's neck and into his shirt as he waited for an answer. In the front lawn of the Rockbell house, he was propped up awkwardly on one knee, blushing the rosy hue of a tomato. The wind blew gently, a small, steamy breath, rustling his hair and stirring the grass around his ankles.

Hands on her hips, the someone his question was intended for was looking down at him, as if carefully considering her answer. Edward couldn't remember being so nervous in his whole life. She opened her small mouth and, to his horror, began to shake her head. Golden eyes, big as saucers, stared up at her expectantly as she started to speak.

"No. Sorry, Ed." She stated simply "I could never marry a guy that's shorter than me." She ended with an exasperated little harrumph. As if she'd answered this question far too many times already. And that was that. Turning on her heel, Winry skipped away happily; off to continue whatever she had been doing before Ed's fumbled proposal had interfered.

Ed could hear the laughter coming from the porch almost immediately. "Shut up, Al!" he called, hoping up from the grass and hurrying towards the house and the smaller boy waiting there. Alphonse was sitting on the front steps watching the scene between his brother and their best friend.

"I told you she'd say no to you, Brother." Al sniggered.

"She turned you down too, you know." Ed huffed, increasingly annoyed with the whole mess. The only response from his little brother was more laughter. Edward grumbled. Scrunching up his face he took a seat next to Al, grateful for the shade the porch provided. "Whatever." He mumbled crossing his arms and deciding to sulk. He'd show Al one of these days. And Winry too. He'd grow up taller than both of them soon! The thought brought a wily smirk to his face. When that happened, he would ask her again and she would surely say yes. Yeah, that'll show 'em.


	3. Thief In the Night

_Theme 098: Pie_

**Thief In the Night**

It had to be below freezing outside, he mused, as he padded barefoot across the hardwood floor. The uneven thudding of his metal foot was muted by the thick blanket he carried. Draped around his shoulders, it cascaded down his back to lie in a puddle of softness at his feet. It was well after three in the morning and he could hear soft snoring coming from somewhere down the hall.

It was pitch dark as he quietly made his way down the stairs, taking care to avoid the creaks of the old house as best he could. He glided his hand gently along the wall feeling his way toward the kitchen. His stomach let out a small grumble of approval in anticipation of a midnight snack. He crossed the threshold of the kitchen, blanket trailing behind him like some grandiose evening gown.

The moonlight shown in, brilliant and silky, giving the scene before him an almost other-worldly glow. The silver moonbeams danced across the dark oak dining table, glinting off of a raised fork, and ricocheting off a pie tin on the counter just a few feet away. A very, heartrendingly, empty, non-pie holding pie tin. Ed was frozen in the doorway. His eyes drifted from the fork to the pie tin and back again.

Winry was seated cross-legged at the table, a blanket of her own piled across her lap. She was silhouetted by the velvety glow from the window, her hair shimmering and looking so silky-smooth that he half thought he might like to touch it. Standing only a few strides away from her, the only sounds in this quiet part of the world were his steady breathing and her soft chewing. The clouds shifted in their journey through the sky, dappling the light even further. Turning his attention back to the non-pie on the counter and thinking of all the yummy anticipation he had endured, he was more than a little disappointed. He shot a small scowl at the back of Winry's pretty little head and decided she would be hearing all about this from him _and_ his angry stomach tomorrow.

He gathered up his blanket and slumped his shoulders, turning to make his way back to his room and the toasty bed waiting there. It was at that moment that the shadowy pie thief chose to clear her throat. Edward looked up, his attention once again focused on the girl sitting in front of him. She shifted in his direction ever so slightly, and his eyes grew as wide as his grin as he watched her slide a plate with a piece of his precious pie into view. He thought that maybe it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen…

And then he looked at Winry. She smiled at him, the silvery wisps of light floating about her, lighting her face and catching in her long eyelashes. It looked kind of like a halo, Ed thought absently. And he realized a minuet too late that he was staring and that his mouth was slightly agape and that she was offering him a fork. She started to giggle at the strange look on his face. Blush-tinged cheeks mostly hidden by the near darkness, he quickly snatched the fork and took a seat next to her. Plunging into the warmed pastry, Ed enjoyed what was possibly the best piece of pie he'd ever eaten.


	4. Chaos

_Theme 011: Red_

**Chaos**

She could remember a lot of things from that night.

She could recall exactly what she had been doing. She had been wondering about the brothers. She hadn't seen them all day. Were they ok? Had they eaten any supper? She was walking downstairs to make them a basket of leftovers from the stew Granny had made earlier that evening. That's when it happened.

She felt a rush of air as the front door burst open, the cool of autumn wooshing in, swirling around her legs. She felt the hard, grainy texture of the banister as she gripped it, her small fingers turning white in shock.

And then there was chaos.

She heard Alphonse's voice coming from somewhere inside that huge suit of armor kneeling in the doorway. It was distant and echo-y and full of panic. She remembers the fear, taut and icy and powerful as it snaked its way through her, gripping her heart tighter each time Edward cried out. She heard her own small lungs screaming, calling out for her Grandmother. She quickly headed the answering command to fetch supplies.

She could smell the antiseptic where her shaking hands spilled it on her shirt. It burned her eyes and got in her nose as she ran through the small house, arms full of towels and gauze. She remembers the burning in her lungs as she reached the kitchen, felt the sweat running down her face as she handed off the supplies. The sting in her nose was not enough to mute the smell of blood, harsh and metallic and overwhelming her.

But all she _saw_ was red.


	5. Always the Quiet Ones

_Theme 028: Music_

**Always the Quiet Ones**

"I never would've figured quiet, little Al would turn out to be so popular with the ladies." Winry laughed over the music as she watched a sheepish Alphonse trying to navigate his way through a blushing, giggling mass of girls.

"He must take after his big brother," Edward replied with a grin and Winry rolled her eyes. There was a particular note of pride and pure adoration in his voice that Winry never failed to miss when he was talking about his little brother. His flesh and bone and blood brother, finally back in his own body.

"They're swarming him," She noted, as one of the bolder girls snuggled her way up Al's arm, begging for the next dance. As Al's nervous gaze darted from one girl to the next, realization dawned. "He can't pick!" Winry squealed. "Maybe he really _does_ take after you." She managed to look _almost_ indignant, standing there in her wedding gown, hands planted stiffly on her hips. Ed just thought she looked cute.

"Why don't you go save him already?" Ed asked, nudging her in Al's direction. She harrumphed and he gave her backside a enthusiastic squeeze, earning him a giggle that she attempted to cover up with a swat to his hand and a stern reminder that they were in public, before she sauntered off to Al's aide.

Ed could see the disappointment settle over the girls faces as she stole away the object of their affection. A new song was starting up, a lively number and Al dragged Winry out into the crowd of other twirling couples. Ed was content just to sit on the sidelines as a mess of golden hair and laughter, his new bride and his little brother, maneuvered here and there across the ballroom. Grin splitting his face, he happily watched, his whole world spinning around the dance floor.


	6. Across the Wire

_Theme 017: Can you hear me?_

**Across the Wire**

"Hold on a second,"

The line was full of static and muffled voices as she cradled the phone to her ear. It was well past dark, the dim light of the oil lamp dancing across the small desk. Winry twirled the cord around her finger, nervously sparing a glance down the hall where Pinako was sleeping. Granny would surely scold her for being on the phone at this hour, and long distance at that! Straining her ears, she tried to sort out the mumbles drifting across the wire while she waited.

"Who...talking to, brother?"

"...alking to?"

"Yes. I thought...you talking to someone in..."

"No way, Al…..just me in...must've been hearing things..."

"...tever you say..."

There was the sound of footsteps and a door opening and a scratchy sort of noise that sounded like clothing being ruffled against the receiver.

"Hey, Winry," Edward whispered. "Are you still there?"

A smile crept across her face at the sound of his voice.

"Yeah," she whispered back. "Can you hear me?

* * *

Hello, dear readers (if there are any of you left!) Sorry for taking forever to update this story. I promise that I won't be taking so long in the future *crosses heart* :)


	7. He's Got the Look

_Theme 057: Eyes_

**He's Got the Look**

She watches his eyes go all funny, like he's looking through her rather than at her. She's not sure if she should be excited or terrified, but she settles on shocked when his hand reaches up to tuck some stray hairs behind her ear and comes to rest on her cheek. Her mouth is as fry as Rush Valley in the summer time and she's pretty sure her face is the color of an eggplant. Her heart stutters when he flashes her a lopsided grin, his face close than it had been a breath ago. Speaking of breath, she can feel his brushing across her lips, searing its way over her cheek and down her neck.

_ Panic._

She really wants to panic, but a voice inside tells her to calm down. Her body assures her that it knows what it's doing and what's to come and that she's probably really going to like it if she can just remember how to breathe. Her heart jumps right over stuttering and into full on arrest for a moment as she's lost in the ridiculous improbability of the whole situation and what is she supposed to do with her hands?

And just like that, (whatever _that_ might be) he's kissing her as if it's the most natural thing in the world. **Edward Elric** is _kissing_ _her_. All of a sudden it's not panic that washes over her, but contentment mixed with something else she can't quite name, but makes her feel warm all over. They'd been dancing around this moment for years, fretting and anxious and unsure and with one small brush of lips on lips it suddenly seems silly to have waited so long.

She blushes and he laughs and their lips find each other again.


End file.
